Search - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds :: Dig, Lazarus, Dig

WE CALL UPON THE AUTHOR

K. H. Orton | New York, NY USA | 03/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think the gist of this one can pretty much be summed up with the line, " we've been scribbled in the margins of a story that is patently absurd" ( Lie Down Here & Be My Girl).



Cave & the Bad Seeds' 14th pretty much picks up where Grinderman left off. But where that album's Garage/ Blues lampoon was more of a lark, the stakes have been raised on Dig. Mad carny swirls of organ replace the tickling ivories of yore. Lashing Fenders duke it out with sleazy bass lines. There's even a lute (courtesy of the criminally gifted Warren Ellis). Throughout Cave holds court with self-mocking swagger. In short, this is a Bad Seeds record unlike anything that ever came before.



I will say that fans of Cave's Boatman's Call balladry are likely to be disappointed. The only things that would remotely qualify as ballads are hauntingly atmospheric numbers like "Hold Onto Yourself" & "Jesus Of The Moon. Lyrically, Cave empties out the asylum here. The songs are sprawling, surreal narratives that hark back to the Dylan Subterranean Homesick/ Desolation Row tradition. Some might say the man needs an editor, but they'd just be missing the point. In terms of the writing, he's hit on a perfect mix of the literary & the profane.



I've always maintained that fans & critics often take Cave far more seriously than he does. Never has this been more apparent than on Dig. This is a playful, groove laden & hilariously over the top record. Cave's sense of satire & contempt has never been so off the cuff.



The title cut is in the Lyre of Orpheus tradition, once more yanking the carpet out from under an established mythological figure. In this case, the victim is poor Lazarus, resurrected from the dead only to be so mortified, he yearns to dig himself back into the grave. His spade of choice---debauchery. One listen & you'll be chanting, "Lazrus dig yourself" for days. Suffice it to say, Cave wields the double entendre like a switchblade.



"Today's Lesson" seems to be nothing more than, "congregating around the intersection of Janie's jeans". Guess it all could be summed up by the song's refrain, clearly echoing the Stooges classic "Real Cool Time". By far the eeriest track is "Night Of The Lotus Eaters" seconded by the ominous travelogue, "Albert Goes West". Classic Cave. Word play reaches a fore with "We Call Upon The Author" which manages to merge the meaningful with the absurd. For my money, "Midnight Man" is one more on the list of standouts. The shamelessly catchy "More News From Nowhere" closes the door on a suitably warped note.



In this age of downloading I say this one makes a strong case for the validity of the album format. These guys are taking you on a journey here & dear reader---- its one hell of ride.

"

It's a new Nick Cave &TBS album... so how can I complain??

N. Flowers | Dover, DE | 03/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I LOVE Nick Cave.





Like the previous reviewer pointed out, this sounds more like a better, more polished sequel to Cave's GRINDERMAN album... so if you're looking for a AND NO MORE SHALL WE PART or BOATMAN'S CALL - type album, you're out of luck. But don't dismiss this album, though... it's got some great cuts that are destined to become more Cave classics.





For the past decade, I've had to order Cave's albums from overseas, since America doesn't get his albums until way, way later than their initial release. I highly recommend getting this version... the 60-page booklet is nothing more but the complete lyrics to each song, but it's a great little companion piece.

"

Just Keeps Getting Better

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 04/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know why industry hacks and some reviewers compare Dig, Lazarus, Dig to Grinderman. About the only real similarity is that the Bad Seeds seems to have gotten away from songs centered around Cave's piano and rediscovered the guitar.

Grinderman is a "half-back" journey that nods to Nick Cave's goth-punk roots. Dig, Lazarus, Dig is a leap forward into the kind of inventive guitar driven music that the Bad Seeds haven't touched in a long time. I liked this recording the first time I played it through and I like it more every time I hear it. There is so much going on musically that it just keeps getting better with each listen.

Real fans of Nick Cave won't be disappointed by Cave's return to the guitar. They will be delighted, because most of us as fans are not just aboard for the music, we are aboard for the lyrics. Cave is one of the few songwriters that can pull off the trick of making edgy, raunchy lyrics sound like the pinnacle of erudition.

There is nothing I dislike here in the fifty plus minutes of stirring rock and roll. But some songs are of course better than others. My favorites are Today's Lesson, We Call Upon The Author, Hold On To Yourself (with its haunting organ), Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl), and Jesus of the Moon.

If you are a Nick Cave fan, I think you'll find that Dig, Lazarus, Dig is his best album overall since No More Shall We Part. The booklet of lyrics you get with this import edition is fine, but I am curious as to what you get with the US release dubbed special/limited edition besides a much better price. The price of this has remained fairly static, the price of the other has done a deep Lewinsky. Whichever one you decide on, you are not going to be disappointed."